i have heard mixed things about having no pipes or straight pipes could be damaging to your tacoma? i know it is illegal i'm just wondering if it does do damage or not and if i will smell the exhaust in the cab or not if i go no pipes

I miss the days when 4x4 was unemployed.
He always posted such intelligent and useful information.

Now he just.....

OP, remove the headers, start the engine, and you'll warp your exhaust valves.
That's the only "damage" that you would do.
With open headers or open pipes, it'll run great wide open, high RPM, but your bottom end is going to suffer.

im trying to get a more deeper throttle sound and im gonna buy doug thorley long tube headers and i wanted to just have open headers. i have also been told that that whole back pressure/exhaust valve warp wont happen with long tubes.
i've heard about the whole back pressure and exhaust valve warp thing i just dont understand how that would happen with just the headers being open. but i can understand it happening with no headers at all.

i just dont understand how that would happen with just the headers being open.

Click to expand...

You'll get a fix it ticket for the sound, a fine for not having a Cat Converter installed, and you'll find yourself getting dizzy and sleepy on a long trip, only to wake up in the ER with your legs gone after fainting at 80mph from Carbon Monoxide filling your cab.

If throttle sound is what you are after, I'll second the response on the intake. My understanding is that the aftermarket CAIs account for the sound some enthusiasts are after. Headers should improve flow over the stock exhaust in that it should be better tuned and smoother. Depending on if you are after higher/lower torque the diameter of your exhaust will figure in. Catalytic converters are important for a number of reasons, required by law, and as noted above, running open headers (or having and improper exhaust system) can be dangerous (or lethal).

Sounds like your in the early stages of planning your exhaust system, so do your research and ask clarifying questions. There is an optimal solution for you out there.

lol i figured the ticket would come soon after i dont plan on having open headers for long just until i get the enough money for the exhaust which should jus be a couple months. but the exhaust really still get in the cab with long tube headers open like that

OP, remove the headers, start the engine, and you'll warp your exhaust valves.
That's the only "damage" that you would do.
With open headers or open pipes, it'll run great wide open, high RPM, but your bottom end is going to suffer.

Click to expand...

Shoudlnt hurt the valves, but power would suffer greatly, as there would be no scavenging affect.

so the american thunder isnt good then?? what exhaust do u recommend??

Click to expand...

Youre not gonna get a ton pf power from any exhaust, and you might not notice the loss with the Flowmaster. Most flow thru mufflers, like Jardine, magnaflow, Borla, etc, give between a 5 and 8 hp gain. My thoughts are, Get what you think sounds the best to your ears.

Youre not gonna get a ton pf power from any exhaust, and you might not notice the loss with the Flowmaster. Most flow thru mufflers, like Jardine, magnaflow, Borla, etc, give between a 5 and 8 hp gain. My thoughts are, Get what you think sounds the best to your ears.

Different types of mufflers use different technology to cancel engine sound. What you want to find is one that absorbs the sound but doesn't restrict the flow. As Chris points out, find the one that sounds right to you and then make sure that you don't select a restrictive exhaust that cancels the sound, but detracts from your HP.

Some of the things you'll note in Chris's writeup are that you are after a smooth, but controlled elimination of exhaust. Some backpressure is needed to give cadence to the flow which causes the syphoning action. Keeping the exhaust hot/warm throughout elimination is important as well, so pipe diameter is critical especially where you are trying to develop your power band. The key is finding an 'optimal' solution (not too big, not too small). Folks tend to 'maximize' solutions which as pointed out, can rob you of power and performance. Many folks find this out....too late.